Traditionally, industrial CT scanning is used for non-destructive examination (NDE). In the past, CT scanning was used to examine the internal configuration and condition of nuclear power plant components and their internal parts. This work was performed on behalf of nuclear utilities and other industries requiring high-reliability. For example, traditional CT scanning was performed to identify condition and configuration of power plant components and to attempt to identify internal non-metallic parts within sealed components.
Many highly regulated, technical industries require an enhanced degree of reliability for the component parts that are integrated into the devices and/or systems that operate within those industries. This reliability requirement is taken very seriously because a part, component or system failure could result in loss of life or a significant risk to the health and safety of employees and the public. Typically, item quality (and its reliability) is ensured by establishing detailed specifications representing the item design requirements and through implementation of very rigorous Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) Programs. This approach has been effective at producing very reliable parts, components and systems, however, it comes with the down-side of being slow, costly and requiring extensive documentation. In addition, it results in a limitation on the number of suppliers who can meet all of the requirements to produce a qualified item.
For the industries that require a specially qualified inventory of spare parts, manufactured and tested to the requirements of technical specifications and an approved quality program, there is typically a long lead time required to acquire those parts. This causes the users to maintain an extensive, on-hand, qualified, inventory to meet operational needs.